Palace Striker Is A Key Transfer Target For Karanka’s Boro

Middlesbrough are said to be interested in both Dwight Gayle and Peter Crouch, as they look to replace the goals scored by Patrick Bamford last season before the closure of the transfer window.

Following Aitor Karanka’s decison to sign a new contract with the Teesiders, Steve Gibson is believed to be ready to go all out in his pursuit of top flight football, meaning that the recruitment of a striker is a top priority over the next few weeks.

Whilst Gayle is available, Alan Pardew has spoken only recently about the admiration he has for the 24-year-old’s finishing, saying that, as the club’s top goalscorer in both of the last two seasons, he would not be going cheap. Should that mean that both he and Steve Parish would be looking to make a profit on the fee we paid Peterborough back in 2013, it may well put Boro off.

Although Peter Crouch may appear to be a more ambitious target than Gayle, the striker will be anxious to ensure regular football over the coming months having been an unused substitute in Stoke’s home defeat to Liverpool yesterday. Given the question marks over his future at The Britannia Stadium, the opportunity to be a pivotal part of something upwardly mobile at The Riverside may appeal to him.

In either case, Steve Gibson will be forced to splash out significant sums of money, but it’s seldom stopped him before.